Desert Sunrise
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: While watching the sunrise from the rooftop of her home, Blake ponders her future and finds comfort in the arms of a certain goofy, kindhearted stowaway. (Spoilers for Volume 4, episode 5.)


**I'm finding myself in a Black Sun mood lately. Maybe it's because Sun is the only main character in the canon-verse who isn't a ticking angst bomb. Maybe it's because I realized that "Not Fall in Love with You" is a Black Sun song rather than an Arkos song that was made to rub salt in our wounds (Thank Dust). Either way, I desperately needed to get something typed. Enjoy!**

Sunrises in the desert were not something to miss. The transformation of the sky from black to gray to dusty-blue to orange-pink almost paled in comparison to the sight of white sand catching the emerging sun's rays, turning the landscape into an expanse of gold, red, and yellow with the faintest rosy blushes of pink.

It was one of many things Blake had missed about Menagerie.

Ever since she was young, she would try to wake up early enough to climb onto the roof and watch the shifting colors. Sunsets were beautiful in their own way, but it was a beauty that more people got to witness due to being awake. Sunrise had always been Blake's special time to reflect and be alone.

Not this morning, however.

"Hey, Sun," she said without turning around.

Sun jumped, sliding on the roof tiles for a moment before steadying himself. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Mom and Dad don't come up here, and you've shown a certain penchant for stalking me lately." Blake glanced over her shoulder, satisfied that Sun at least had the grace to appear somewhat sheepish.

"Yeah, okay." Sun scooted over until he was next to her. He cast an appreciative eye over the landscape. "Man, this takes me back."

"Were the sunrises like this in Vacuo?" Blake wondered.

"There weren't as many places to get a good look, but yeah," Sun replied, smiling wistfully. "Granted, I usually slept through them, but they were awesome when I could see them." He glanced at Blake. "So, how was catching up with your parents?" After the visit from the White Fang, Sun had gone off on his own, partially to give Blake some time with her parents, partially to get away from her father's disapproving glare.

Blake shrugged. "About what you'd expect. They were happy to see me. I could tell that Dad wanted to lecture me, but Mom was keeping him from saying anything."

"He kinda scares me," Sun admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Blake snickered a little. "You really put your foot in your mouth yesterday."

"My foot? It felt like both feet, and half of my tail!" Sun lamented. "Why'd he have to take what I said that way?! Now he freaking hates me. I have no doubt he could snap me in half, you know."

"He probably could," Blake said calmly. "But don't worry. Mom likes you, and she's much scarier."

Sun gulped audibly. "I'm, uh, not sure what to say to that." He looked out at the golden sands. "So, what's our next step? Now that I know your dad was the old leader of the White Fang, I'm guessing we're gonna try and get some leverage to take out this Adam guy."

"That's the hope," Blake sighed. "I know Dad will have no problem with anything that leads to taking _him_ down."

Sun's tail twitched at the venom in Blake's voice. "Um, you don't have to answer this, but… Adam… Were you guys…?"

"Yes." Blake's voice was crisp. "He was different at the beginning."

"Well, I kinda figured. You're too smart to go with someone who's an obvious jerk." Sun hesitated before asking in a softer voice: "Did he hurt you?"

Blake opened her mouth to tell Sun to mind his own business, but found herself unable to speak. Something about the softness of his voice and the tenderness in his eyes caused her own eyes to start watering. _Dammit!_ She swiped irritably at them and took a shuddering breath. "Yes. In more ways than I can name," she murmured, staring fixedly at the roof tiles.

Sun felt a painful twist in his chest as he looked at Blake. She was trying to keep it together, but those tears and the tremble in her voice said all that needed to be said. He wanted to move closer, but resisted the urge. Instead, he held out his arms. "Hey," he urged softly. It was an invitation, nothing more or less. He was there if she needed him. That was the point he had to keep getting across, no matter what.

Blake blinked rapidly as she looked at him, hesitating. She hated to show weakness to anyone, especially people she cared about. She didn't want anyone to worry about her or treat her like something broken that needed to be fixed.

But there was none of that when she looked at Sun. His expression was open and non-judgmental. He didn't pity her. He just wanted to be there for her. This is what allowed Blake to push past her usual aversion to physical contact, and close that last distance between them.

She let Sun hold her, she let the tears flow, she wrapped her arms around his sturdy form and hugged him tightly as she cried. Images and sensations flashed through her mind: a stinging cheek, a cruel sneer, her best friend falling to the ground and shaking in pain, and that threat. That threat that she would lose everything she loved.

She clung desperately to Sun. _I won't let that happen,_ she thought fiercely. _I can't!_

Yet, even with that vow in mind, she could feel the weight of everything crashing down on her. The responsibility to go after Adam, the need to be away from her closest friends, the worry that Sun would get hurt because he had chosen to follow her, and the fact that Remnant was falling apart and she had to do whatever she could to stop it.

"Hey, it's okay," Sun murmured, rubbing her back slowly. Every tear that wetted his chest caused his heart to shatter just a little more. "I'm here. I've got you." He nuzzled the top of her head, trying to keep his own emotions in check.

There were a lot of them, after all. There was rage against this prick Adam for causing Blake so much undeserved pain. There was worry about what would come next. There was grief that Blake was hurting this much. There was a small amount of happiness that she was trusting him enough to comfort her in that moment. Most of all, there was love.

He had to bite his lip to keep from saying the three words he desperately wanted to say, because he knew they would only hurt her more. He had to wait for her to be ready. He hoped that she would be, someday. Until then, he would stay by her side and help her fight whatever battles came their way. He would be a shoulder to cry on. He would be a partner on the battlefield. He would heal her in any way he could.

For now, he just held her until her sobs subsided. Her muscles loosened and she snuggled willingly against his side. Her hug wasn't as tight, but she didn't withdraw her arms, so neither did Sun.

"Sun?" she murmured, hating the way her voice still shook and cracked, but also knowing that it was okay to sound like that. _As long as he's the only one who can hear…_

"Yeah?" Sun brought one hand up to stroke her hair.

"I know I haven't really shown it, but…I'm glad you're here."

Sun smiled, giving one of Blake's ears a gentle scratch. "Hey, what kind of guy would I be if I let you deal with awkward parent reunions, crazy exes, and saving the world all on your own?" He drew back enough to look her directly in the eyes. "I got your back, Blake!" _I love you, Blake._

Blake's face warmed under Sun's tender, gray gaze. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss him, to forget about her problems and just hold the sweet, goofy, brave young man who had literally followed her halfway across Remnant because he had (stupidly) thought that she was going off to face the White Fang alone.

She couldn't, though. Memories of what had happened to Yang still burned her mind and haunted her dreams. She couldn't risk putting Sun in any more danger than he already was in.

So, she settled for smiling up at him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you." _I love you too._

They were silent as they watched the sun's slow journey from over the horizon. The colors swirled and changed on the backdrop of sand, making a mirage of beauty across all of Menagerie. The two teens watched, each lamenting the fact that such simple beauty and peace could never truly last.

….

 _Alternate Ending_

Blake's face warmed under Sun's tender, gray gaze. One of her hands came up, almost of its own accord, softly caressing his cheek. She saw the tiniest change in those gentle eyes, a slight increase of that warmth that kept drawing her inevitably closer to him. Then, his eyes shut and he nuzzled softly against her palm, smiling the sweetest smile she had ever seen. Her heart melted.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Adam didn't exist. The White Fang didn't exist. Nothing existed but that fleeting moment of bliss and comfort that Blake desperately wanted to cling to for as long as she could. Closing her eyes, she leaned in and kissed that beautiful smile.

Sun's lips parted in a surprised gasp and his eyes flew open. He blinked dumbly as Blake drew back, her ears flattening with embarrassment. Her amber gaze was hesitant as she slowly looked up at him, a silent question on her face.

Heart pounding, Sun placed a shaking finger under her chin, tilting her face toward his. Her ears perked up and she shifted closer. Throwing caution to the wind, Sun closed the distance between them and gave in to the moment.

His hand moved from her chin to her cheek, where he wiped away the stray tears, then to her ears, where he began to scratch softly at the base of one of them. He felt and heard the low rumble that rose in Blake's chest, and was nearly giddy for a few seconds. _Damn, that's adorable!_

Blake purred without restraint, wrapping her arms tightly around him and playing with his hair with one hand. _So warm…_ She snuggled eagerly into his embrace, savoring his enthusiastic, but very gentle kisses, and oh-so-soft touches. His tail slipped around her waist, pressing her closer. Her purr rose to a high chirp for a moment.

 _I love you,_ Sun thought as he continued to rub her back, scratch those cute ears, and temporarily kiss away her grief and terror. _Sweet Dust, I love you!_ More than anything, he wished that they were back at Beacon, that they were still in a time when things were simple and no one had to be afraid, when war was a distant thing and the White Fang was an annoyance rather than a true threat. When they could just kiss and hold each other like this, and not have to truly worry about the future.

As all good things did, their kiss came to an end. They stayed close, their foreheads touching, their rapid breaths mingling, their eyes half-lidded. Finally, Blake shifted so that she was nestled against Sun's side, her head on his shoulder. His tail and arm remained wrapped protectively around her, and she didn't mind in the slightest.

They were silent as they watched the sun's slow journey from behind the horizon. The colors swirled and changed on the backdrop of sand, making a mirage of beauty across all of Menagerie. The two teens watched, each lamenting the fact that such simple beauty and peace could never truly last.

 **Okay, so as I was typing along the lines of what would logically happen in canon, and realized that the end result was gonna be less fluffy than I had hoped. I also desperately wanted to type a fluffy kiss scene. My solution? Alternate ending! The first one is more realistic, but dammit I wanted to give Blake some freaking bliss for a little while! It's a fanfiction, so you guys can decide which ending happened!**

 **Commissions are still open. I have two open slots. PM me for details.**

 **If you want to show monthly support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.**

 **Praise Monty, and peace out!**


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